


Wreath'd in Confining Flame

by Escalus



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (both adults), Age Difference, Future Fic, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, Redemption, Regret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 09:37:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15838599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Escalus/pseuds/Escalus
Summary: After a McCall pack social gathering, a lonely Theo Raeken takes the Alpha of Alphas up on an interesting offer.   Can two former villains find a way to shake off the burdens of their own past?





	Wreath'd in Confining Flame

It must have been a little after midnight; the bonfire was beginning to die and no one seemed willing to move enough to stir it up. The outer edges of the fire were nothing but smoldering, red-limned shapes in the darkness, though the heart of the pile was still aflame. Every once in a while, a log would collapse under its own weight, sending a shower of sparks into the night.

Theo had sat close enough to feel the heat from the fire but far enough away not to be the center of anyone’s attention. He found the warmth so comfortable, in fact, he felt a little bit drowsy. The food had been good; people had pitched in with bratwurst and baked beans and potato salad and several kinds of pie. The conversations around which he had hovered on the edges had been hilarious or heartfelt or a combination of the two. Listening to them beneath the wheeling stars had put a slight smile on his face more than once. He almost felt like he belonged here.

Almost.

But as the night deepened beneath the circling stars, the party goers were beginning to fade away and head out. He had already watched the veterinarian say good night and disappear down the path back towards the clearing where everyone had parked. The Sheriff was clapping people on the back and giving mock warnings about public intoxication. Couples were beginning to form in the dark: new ones and old ones. The waxing crescent moon sailed between the trees. Theo had to admit it was a very romantic scene.

“Hey.”

Theo nearly jumped up off the ground. Scott had somehow appeared directly behind him with Theo being unaware of it.

“Whoa, sorry, man.” Scott put one hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Sorry, I guess I was getting a little too comfortable.” Theo rubbed at his face.

“No such thing tonight.” Scott chuckled and, without asking, sat down next to him. “We’re supposed to be among friends tonight. You should be able to relax.”

Theo offered a feeble smile and then cursed himself inwardly. He hoped Scott wouldn’t notice the rapid beating of his heart. Maybe he could put it down to being startled.

“It’s easier for some of us than others.” It sounded lame to Theo’s own ears.

“I mean it, Theo.” Scott gave him one of his patented looks of concern. “Do you think I haven’t noticed that you’ve always been there for us, whenever we needed it? You’ve fought for us and with us when you didn’t have to. In a way, that’s one of the reasons that I threw this party.”

“For me?”

“For you, for everyone. My pack. Our allies, and that includes you. These last few years have been really shitty. I don’t want the only time the pack gets together is when something terrible is happening.”

Theo took a deep breath and willed himself to be calm. “That’s nice. Thanks for inviting me.”

Scott pushed himself up. “You’re always welcome here now, Theo. I’m gonna go keep Stiles from killing himself. He keeps trying to keep up with werewolves while drinking. Thanks for coming.”

Theo watched Scott move off in the darkness, going to help his friend. He indulged himself; as he watched Scott’s retreating form he imagined what his life would be like if he could get what he really wanted. 

“Oh, to take the sun in one’s arms, and steal it away, hiding it close from dawn’s ugly tasks.” 

Theo did jump up this time. “Why the fuck do werewolves keep sneaking up on me?”

Deucalion chuckled wryly. “Some of our ancestors stalked prey through ancient forests, Theo.” 

“Well, sometime after that, one of our ancestors invented politeness. I should make you fuckers wear bells.” Theo’s heart rate struggled to come down to normal. 

“We’re wolves, not cats, and you’re not a mouse. You’re usually not so easy to surprise.” The older man glances across the flaming bonfire. “But then again, I’ve never known you to put desire above self-interest the way you seem to be doing now.” 

Theo decided to go with a snide rejoinder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Deucalion was apparently going to have a go at him tonight. “Your secret is safe with me. Scott consciously avoids paying attention to chemo signals when talking to people unless it’s a matter of urgency. I, on the other hand, don’t care that much about other people’s privacy if I’m talking to them.”

He turned his body away from the elder werewolf. “Whatever you think you smelled, you didn’t.”

“Is that so? I’ve been there when you’ve been aroused before, Theo.”

“When?” 

“You may have had other things on your mind, but even you would agree that Tracy was an attractive girl.”

Theo didn’t need reminding of that; he could pretend to be flippant about it, but even after five years, it wasn’t something he wanted to remember. He began to walk away, but Deucalion followed after him. Theo was closer to the fire now; he could see the light of it reflected in the other man’s eyes. “What do you want?”

“Several things, but right now I want to talk. We haven’t talked for a long time.”

For some reason, Theo didn’t want to end the conversation, but he absolutely wanted to change the topic. “I don’t recognize the poem you quoted.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t. I wrote it, but I haven’t published it.”

“You quote your own poetry?”

The man laughed out loud, his human, blue eyes twinkling with reflected light. “Theo, I named myself after the son of the Titan of Forethought who founded a new race after the old one perished. In the past, I’ve frequently bellowed my pseudonym so loudly that glass cracked. I never claimed humility was my strong suit.”

This admission got an answering laugh from Theo. The candid confession had been delivered so openly and without defensiveness that he could appreciate it. “But you _are_ wrong …”

Deucalion lowered his voice so it would take someone not only with supernatural hearing but with a specific interest in listening to hear him. A human could not have heard the words at all. “Am I? You mean to tell me that you harbor no desire for the True Alpha? I doubt that. Don’t worry; I’m not judging. It’s a common condition among ex-villains such as ourselves.”

Theo blinked. “What?”

“It’s logical if you think about it. Why did we do what we do?”

Theo reminded himself that as dark as he had been, the Demon Wolf had easily matched everything he did and more. “In my case, according to my therapist, I was terrified of being less, so I did anything to be more.”

“I can’t argue with that diagnosis, but my specific pathology was different. I attempted to prove the world flawed by employing violence and terror. Pure megalomania. What we had in common was the desire for something without any concern about how we got it.” 

Deucalion gestured with one had as if he was leading Theo in a certain direction. Theo wasn’t sure why he followed, but he did.

“We are still who we are. We still want things. We are simply more conscientious about what we want and how we get what we want. And, like all living things, we tend to want what makes us feel good. When people like us encounter people like Scott, who look at us and see the possibility for us to be something better, it can feel very good. So good, in fact, that we can start wanting that feeling all that time.” 

“I’m not sure that’s true.”

Deucalion’s look of disbelief was scathing. “I don’t believe you. Don’t tell me that there wasn’t a thrill of pleasure when Scott said those things to you down by the fire.”

Theo didn’t want to admit it. Part of him couldn’t admit it. “It doesn’t matter what I felt. As you say, I’m trying to be conscientious about how I get what I want. I’m not going to make a move on Scott while he’s with Malia.”

“Oh, Malia and he broke up almost a year and a half ago.” 

“What?” Theo’s breath caught in his throat. “How do you know that? And what happened?”

Deucalion snickered and walked deeper into the forest. Theo hesitated before following. He wanted to hear the answers to his questions.

“I’ve become a mentor of sorts to Scott over the years, ever since he mistakenly believed that Monroe’s soldiers had killed me. I was badly wounded, but murdered with just a few bullets to the back? There’s a reason that the Argents’ standard practice was to cut werewolves in half. After I recovered, I frequently gave him advice. He dropped the news about him and his paramour in a conversation, but I’ve noticed he’s made it a point not to make a big deal of it, probably because of why they broke up.”

“Why?” Theo knew he was being undignified.

“Why does anything bad happen to Scott McCall? Peter Hale. In this case, Peter Hale suddenly, from out of nowhere, desired to insure his daughter’s safety, so he began a long-term campaign to woo her away from Scott’s side. It was a combination of arranging opportunities for her future while simultaneously burdening Scott with the idea that he was holding her back.”

“Asshole.”

“True, but Peter understands that all the best lies hold some truth. After so many of them, the tension between the three of them reached a point where Malia simply didn’t want to deal with it anymore.”

Theo suddenly felt bad at the rush of excitement through his veins. He clenched his hands and forced it down.

“Don’t be ashamed. You know you had nothing to do with it. You just recognize opportunity when you see it.”

Theo suddenly flashed back to the last time he had listened this closely to Deucalion. “Are you playing me? “ He had allowed himself to be led by the Demon Wolf into the middle of a dark woods and into admitting something he had never admitted to anyone else. Half annoyed and half afraid, he turned to the older man. “Does this end with you snapping my neck?”

“No. I just agree with Scott. You’ve worked hard, and you deserve to get at least some of what you want. But the first step in that will always be admitting that it is what you want.”

Theo still felt a little manipulated. He never liked being on the receiving end of that. “You said we’re alike, maybe you’re mistaking what I want for what you want.”

“No. Not possible.”

“And why not? You’re the one quoting poetry about him.”

“Because I’ve already had what I wanted.”

It took Theo two breaths to work it out. He blinked and beat down the surge of jealousy that threatened to blossom into rage. “When?”

“Last Christmas. The holiday season can trigger melancholy feelings, and I was available to help him enjoy the season instead. In so doing, I was also able to help him work though some of the issues that were bothering him. I found it enjoyable, and honestly, it helped me with some of my issues.”

The chimera gritted his teeth. “So you dragged me away from everyone else into the middle of the woods to get me to convince to admit that yes, I want Scott, so you can rub it in my face that you’ve had him? I’d rather you had broken my neck again.”

“Don’t indulge in hyperbole, Theo. It’s unbecoming. I didn’t bring you away from everyone else to humiliate you.”

“Then what do you want?”

Deucalion tilted his head to the side. “Do try to keep up.” 

In frustration, Theo threw up his hands. 

The older wolf sighed. “I came up to you at a party; I engaged you in conversation; I got you interested in what I had to say and we left the party together. I’ve told you that I’m interested in people with unresolved emotional issues, and I’ve explained how we have many things in common.”

Theo blinked once. Then twice. “Me?”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Theo. I think the better question is if you’re interested in me as much as I’m interested in you. We won’t answer that question in this dark woods; it’s much better suited for exploration in my apartment.” 

Deucalion began to walk away. Theo watched him go, still stunned. But then he realized what was left of the night if he didn’t go. The darkness of the Preserve didn’t endanger him, but it was empty. He didn’t want to be alone tonight. The older man was right. He was interesting.

He followed the Demon Wolf.

*****

Deucalion’s apartment was nothing like Theo had imagined, but then again, he hadn’t spent much time imagining where the older alpha would live. Geographically, it was not that far from Derek’s old loft; Theo had never been there, but he had learned all the locations the McCall pack would consider safe. And it wasn’t the same apartment Deucalion had shared with the rest of the Alpha Pack in the same building as the Argents. The building was newer and architecturally distinct.

It might as well have been in another world, as Derek’s loft was a minimalist recreation of a very spacious monk’s cell, all open brick and misery. It wasn’t like the home Theo had shared with his impostor parents, all Faux Suburbia. And it was definitely not like the place he had lived with the Doctors, nightmarishly utilitarian and unheeding of comfort or hygiene.

This penthouse blended modern style with just enough rustic charm to remind you that a werewolf lived here. Bleached ash wood highlights broke up the unrelenting white walls and the seats were more perches than arm chairs. 

Deucalion caught Theo’s admiring glances. “I enjoy both comfort and fashion.”

“It’s nice.” What a lame compliment, but Theo was sort of benumbed by what was happening. He wasn’t quite sure why he had followed him here. He’d been alone many times before. What was so alluring about Deucalion to him?

“Take off your shoes.” 

“What?” Theo was surprised at the tone in the command. It wasn’t a gentle request.

Deucalion went to the kitchen and poured two whiskeys in tumblers. He came back out but didn’t hand one to Theo. “Take your shoes off.” 

Theo bent down and undid the laces of his shoes and removed them. “Okay.”

As a sort of reward, the alpha handed him one of the tumblers. “Drink.”

Theo took a sip of the alcohol. He had never liked the taste, and, of course, it didn’t affect him, but he wasn’t going to be rude. The taste was the same as he remembered it, but there was an immediate warmth in his belly. He looked down at the glass.

“A special blend prepared for my enjoyment. I’m assured its effects are very similar to what humans feel when they drink mundane whiskey.”

“But … I’m not a werewolf.”

“It seems that you’re close enough. Sit down.”

Theo did so, but he was thinking about remarking that Deucalion hadn’t said ‘please,’ but the alpha took the seat directly across from him. “Huh. You haven’t take your shoes off.”

“Why would I take my shoes off, Theo?”

“Well, you asked me to take my shoes off, and so … I thought, that you preferred people not be in your house with shoes on.”

The older man chuckled. “No. I was testing the waters.” 

“Uh. I don’t understand.”

“There are three rules for tonight’s entertainment, Theo. Please listen carefully. The first rule is that you may leave at any time. If something happens with which you are uncomfortable or unwilling to participate in, you may leave. I will never physically restrain you from leaving, nor will I demand an explanation.”

“Okay.” The room was spinning a little bit, but he had only taken one sip of the whiskey.

“The second rule is that you will never refuse a command that I give you. You may not bargain. You may not hedge. When I tell you to do something, you will do it. If you don’t feel you want to or cannot bring yourself to do it, then you will have to leave. Do you understand?”

Theo swallowed. This was sounding kinky. “I … understand.”

“The third rule is that you may ask me any question you like. Any question at all. You cannot give me orders, but I will endeavor to answer anything you might want to know.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. Fair’s fair, Theo.”

Theo took another sip of his whiskey. “What’s the point of these rules?”

“They are means to an end, and the end is our pleasure, hopefully. Stand up.” Deucalion mirrored his own sip of whiskey, but he didn’t follow his own command and remained seated.

Theo smirked. He understood power games. He stood up. 

“Take off your socks. Why are you smiling? Have you done this before?” 

Theo bent down with one hand and slid off his socks. Slowly. If Deucalion was into this type of scene, he could play along. “In this specific way? No. But I understand it on a theoretical level.”

“Do you? You may be mistaken about that. Take off your shirt.”

“You’re going to make me do this one piece of clothing at a time?” He pulled the shirt over his head. This left him more exposed and his skin erupted into goosebumps, even if the room wasn’t very cold. It was excitement. 

“Who knows? Maybe I won’t ask you to disrobe any farther. Remain standing.”

Theo stood there as he was instructed, but over the next few minutes, he began to become unsettled. The smirk slipped from his lips. His hands got a little clammy. Deucalion studied him with a detached look upon his face, as if he was studying a piece of art or a piece of meat. Theo couldn’t tell. 

Theo swallowed away his newly blossoming nervousness. “Did you do this to Scott?”

“Oh, no. I had to work a lot harder with Scott.” Finally, Deucalion stood up. “He was far less inclined to play along than you have been. He has never been very good at taking orders.”

“And I am?” Theo challenged. Blood rushed to his face.

“Indubitably.” Deucalion circled him, and Theo did not flinch – he did not! – when the alpha put a finger on his back. The finger traced the outline of his left Teres Major. “One could say that you were made that way.”

At those words, Theo did flinch. The insinuation killed his mood and brought back memories of a time long past. The wounds were no longer visible, but he could feel them shift beneath his skin.

Deucalion sighed. “No, no, that won’t do at all. You’re taking it in a way I did not intend.”

Theo gulped air and then steadied himself. “And how did you intend it?”

Deucalion grabbed him by the shoulders and massaged him, as if trying to loosen him up. “Take another drink. Take a deep breath. Relax.” Theo, without breaking the physical contact, did as he was told. The drink helped. The touch of the older man’s hands helped. 

Theo almost mastered himself. He almost didn’t sound needy and pathetic. Almost.

“Why did you choose me?”

The alpha put his lips near Theo’s ear. “People have described me as a visionary for a long time. To have a vision is the first step in any creation. Even during my darkest period, I never enjoyed destruction for its own sake. Instead, I tried to create perfect pack, as ludicrous as that sounds today. You, my boy, are in need of some creation, or, to be more precise, re-creation.”

“So you’re doing this out of pity?”

“Bah. Try to value yourself a little more highly. I enjoy what I choose to do, and what I want to do is take hold of you. Mold you. Shape you into the best person you can be.” 

“And that’s what gets you off.”

“We all have our little quirks.” Deucalion chuckled. “Stay still.”

Theo tensed. They were close and there was no way to hide that fear and the way his body was taught. The alpha’s sure fingers were on the belt, but they paused.

“First rule, Theo. Remember it.”

“Maybe I don’t want you to shape me.” 

Deucalion tsked. “That’s your choice. But, tell me: are you happy?” 

Theo thought about lying, but that would be against the rules. “No. No, I’m not.”

The older man brought him closer until Theo could feel the man’s lips moving on the back of his neck. “Then how could it possibly hurt to let me try?” 

“I listened to you before, and that didn’t go particularly well for me.”

“Did you?” The closeness was at once comforting and exhilarating. “Allow me.”

Theo could feel the power running through the older alpha. He may have been defeated by a darach, some betas, and a lunar eclipse, but he had never lost the power he had. There was a dark stirring in Theo’s gut: a hunger to have more power than he had now. And that hunger made him ache; it made him calculate, even as Deucalion divested him of the rest of his clothing. 

He shivered with the strength of his need. He could reach out and take it from the other man. Well, he could try. 

“Still,” whispered Deucalion. 

Did he know? Did he understand?

“Down there, under your ribcage.” The alpha of alphas touched him there. “It’s never left you.”

He did know. He did understand. Theo blinked. He was crying, and that was so embarrassing. 

“No.” Deucalion’s other hand wiped the tear away. “You mustn’t cry over what can’t be changed. It’s part of you. It always will be.”

“What do I do?” Theo wrenched the words out.

“That’s why I brought you here. To show you.” Deucalion took his hand. “Follow me.”

In the dark, they started to play. Deucalion gave him commands, and Theo obeyed. Sometimes the commands were gentle, sometimes they were rough, and sometimes Theo obeyed fully and sometimes playfully. As the game continued though, it stopped being a game. Theo could feel the discomfort and the anxiety fade away. Deucalion wasn’t going to hurt him or he would have done it by now. The alpha wasn’t going to reject him, or he would have done _that_ by now. It was soothing; the more Theo concentrated on answering the man’s demands, the more relaxed he became. 

Maybe it had been exactly what he needed.

*****

When he woke, it was still dark. But the dark had never held any secrets for him, and sometimes Theo wished that fact would change. He heard Deucalion breathing next to him, and he listened to it, reassured. He remained still, and it took very little effort him for him to do it. After all, the alpha hadn’t told him he could move yet.

“Tell me how you feel.”

The alpha was awake. Theo didn’t know how to answer for a moment. What should one feel after something like this had happened? The truth was he felt … weightless. “I feel good.”

Deucalion hummed his approval.

“Can I ask something? I know you said I could, but what I want to ask could be taken the wrong way.”

“I will certainly let you know if I find your question disrespectful.” Deucalion tapped Theo’s bare shoulder with his fingers, but it was meant to encourage him.

“Did you want … when I thought I had you captive … did you want to do this?”

The man removed his fingers. At first, Theo thought he had angered him, but it seemed that he was just thinking. “That was not what I expected you to ask. I didn’t give that impression then, did I?”

“No, not at all.”

“Good. Back then, you were a child manipulated by dark and evil humans. While you pretended, even to yourself, that you were strong, you were in fact quite vulnerable. You were emotionally stunted. It would have been unconscionable for me, even for the Demon Wolf.” Deucalion chuckled and Theo smiled when he felt the man’s breath upon his skin. “In the common parlance, the very thought of what you just suggested … ewww.”

“But …” Theo trailed off. 

“Go on. Speak and do not be afraid.”

“Sometimes, I don’t feel so very different from back then.”

“Ah.” The older man shifted his body on the bed. “We all feel that way, from time to time, and that’s a good thing. What we have done will always be with us; it must always be with us, if we are to make anything of our choices. That includes every wicked act and every kindness, every success and every failure …”

Theo tensed. He couldn’t help it.

Deucalion put his fingers on Theo’s lips. “You still don’t like that word, do you?”

Theo shook his head. He wouldn’t answer while the man’s fingers were on his lips. 

“Let me put it another way then. When an architect designs a building, she has to know not just what she’s building but also where she’s building it. She has to know the prevailing winds. She has to know the consistency of the ground. They are part of this new thing she is designing. For you, the _where_ is your past. Before I became this new me, I confronted my past. I examined it. We can only build ourselves anew if we respect the foundations.” His fingers ran down from Theo’s lips into the hollow of his throat. 

“Our foundations. Our pasts. We were the bad guys. We lied. We destroyed things.” Theo couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t want to sound whiny, but these were the things that always stayed with him. It happened like this every time he was content. He remembered what he had been, and he didn’t feel so happy anymore.

“O soul! Who are hidden here below,  
Never was there Romagna without war  
In her proud tyrants’ bosom, nor is now:  
But open war I left there none.” 

Deucalion’s voice filled his ears with the cadence of the poetry. Theo actually recognized it. “The Inferno?”

“Ha. It pleases me on some level that you know your Dante.”

Theo sighed. “Well, the Doctors didn’t keep up to date on the latest video games, so I read a lot of their old books. I don’t remember the canto.”

Suddenly, the whole situation was surreal. Theo could have laughed, but he didn’t. He was lying in bed with the Alpha of Alphas, discussing Hell. Deucalion was playing him like an instrument, bringing up his vulnerabilities and examining them like a jeweler with a loupe. 

“Canto XXVII. The Eighth Malbolge.” Deucalion’s voice teased him, tested him.

Theo remembered. He was happy he could be impressive. “The Pit of the Evil Counselors. Not the flashiest name to call your bedroom.”

The alpha burst out into genuine laughter. Theo nearly vibrated with pleasure that he had pleased Deucalion. He could get used to that feeling. 

“We’ve both been the Evil Counselors, Theo. And we’ve both arisen out of Hell. What comes next?”

“According to Dante, the Purgatorio. Purgatory is where we work off our sins so we may enter Paradise.”

“Correct. You see, there are benefits to having a classical education.” 

“What …” Theo bit it off as Deucalion brought his hand down to his stomach. “What if we never get to that point?”

The man kissed him then and Theo closed his eyes. “Look at what we’ve survived. Look at what we’ve done, and look at what we’ve overcome.” His voice was smooth in the darkness.

Theo’s eyes flashed open. “May I kiss you?”

“Kiss me.” It was delivered with the same strength of command. “Look at our allies. Look at our power. Look at how much we’ve grown.”

Theo kissed him and it wasn’t the first thing he wanted that night, but it was the first thing he got. It wasn’t fireworks; it wasn’t an earthquake. It was quiet and solid and strong. It made his toes curl anyway. 

The alpha pulled away and his eyes were glowing red like the embers of the pit. “Oh, my dear Theo. You wonder if we may be denied entrance to Paradise? Who could possibly stop us?”


End file.
